Via earthtimes.org,03/09/2011
Genetic analysis has determined a fungus that has been causing cypress canker disease and killing trees in six out of the world’s seven continents originated from California.
The fungus, Seiridium cardinale, enters a tree through cracks or wounds in the bark. Once inside, it releases toxins that interfere with the flow of water, sap and nutrients, making the tree sick and eventually killing it.
Lead researcher Gianni Della Rocca of the National Research Council in Florence, Italy, noted that “Italian cypress trees are important to the ecosystem, but they are also considered the quintessential trees of the Mediterranean, the ones that dot the Tuscan countryside and that form the landscape of much of Greece, the South of France and Spain.” He added “It is difficult to put a price tag on the impact this pathogen has had. It’s hard to imagine the Tuscan or Provence landscape without cypresses.”
